Rick Pitino made it a point to make the St. John’s basketball schedule as tough as possible entering this season after the Red Storm were overwhelmed by the length and athleticism of Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament last year.
After struggling to score in its season ending loss, the Johnnies booked dates with three SEC programs – which ended up being four based on how the Players Era Championship schedule unfolded.
However, St. John’s has been unsuccessful in its two attempts against Alabama and Auburn and saw another marquee non-conference opportunity slip through its fingers with its loss to Iowa State in Las Vegas.